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墨書 Inktalez
The Legend of the Immortals Prequel: Wilderness Journey
Early the next morning, two beams of extraordinary light flew down from Azure Cloud Mountain, cutting through clouds and mist, soaring over numerous mountain ridges, and finally landing at the foot of Azure Cloud Mountain outside Caomiao Village.
The spiritual light flickered and swayed, and upon landing, it burst forth in a dazzling brilliance before dissipating, revealing two figures—Tian Buyi and Su Ru.
In Tian Buyi's hand was the Crimson Flame Sword, while the treasure in Su Ru's hand was a piece of Amber Silk, which looked translucent and soft, seemingly possessing a spirit, and it immediately wrapped around her body.
Unable to resist, Tian Buyi took a few more glances and said, “Junior Sister Su, your Amber Silk treasure is quite rare.”
Su Ru felt a bit proud and asked, “Isn’t it beautiful?”
Tian Buyi nodded repeatedly and replied, “It’s very beautiful, especially when you use it; it looks even better.”
Su Ru's face turned red as she shot a glare at Tian Buyi and said, “You fatso! I’ve noticed you’ve become more slick-tongued lately.”
Tian Buyi scratched his head and after a moment laughed, “I’m just speaking the truth.”
Su Ru huffed and ignored him, walking straight ahead, though there was a hint of a smile in her eyes. Tian Buyi followed behind her, looking around and said, “Hey, I think I’ve been here before.”
Su Ru was somewhat surprised and asked, “You’ve actually been to Caomiao Village?”
After thinking for a moment, Tian Buyi replied, “Yes, back when I followed Wan Shixiong on the way to the Wilderness, we encountered some Demonic Cult Monsters harassing villagers shortly after descending from Azure Cloud Mountain. We saved a grandfather and grandson pair, and later I and Zeng Shuchang took them to this village to seek refuge with relatives. Yes, it’s this Caomiao Village.”
Su Ru laughed and said, “What a coincidence! You can go check on how they are doing now when you have the chance. But today let’s finish our own business first.” With that, she looked around for a moment and quickly spotted the dilapidated Grass Temple Village on one side outside the village. She then led Tian Buyi toward that direction.
Tian Buyi walked beside Su Ru and said, "Sister Su, step back a bit. If the strange sounds from Grass Temple Village are caused by some kind of spirit, let me handle it."
Su Ru rolled her eyes at him and replied, "I'm not an ordinary person without any skills; what is there to be afraid of?"
Tian Buyi smiled but quickened his pace, moving in front of Su Ru as they approached the broken entrance of Grass Temple Village. He continued, "You came to find me to come along, which means you consider me a friend. Of course, I can't let you go ahead."
Su Ru lightly bit her lip and then looked at the somewhat short and stout figure, a smile slowly appearing at the corners of her mouth.
This dilapidated Grass Temple Village seemed to have been abandoned for some time. The two wooden doors at the entrance were slightly ajar. When Tian Buyi gently pushed them, they creaked open with a low sound.
Tian Buyi glanced inside and found that Grass Temple Village was not very large; the layout was quite simple, consisting of a front courtyard and a room behind it, which housed a Mud Sculpture Bodhisattva.
Grass Temple Village was very quiet. Due to its abandonment, dust covered everything, and many stones on the courtyard's bluestone floor had been turned up, with green weeds sprouting through the cracks. As for the room in front, the statue had peeling paint and looked lifeless.
After taking a look around without noticing any danger, Tian Buyi stepped inside first, with Su Ru following closely behind him into the courtyard.
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew through from outside, causing the green weeds to sway. The wooden door shook a couple of times and made some noise; however, aside from that, there was no other sound at all, including the rumored strange noises that were now completely absent.
Tian Buyi turned around and exchanged a glance with Su Ru, both showing signs of confusion. Su Ru frowned and said, "That's strange. They said it was this noise; could it be that those villagers heard wrong and scared themselves?"
"Eh..."
Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp and eerie scream suddenly echoed from the room.
Su Ru jumped in surprise and instinctively took a step back. Before she could speak, she suddenly saw a broad back appear in front of her—Tian Buyi had immediately shielded her with his body while drawing out the Crimson Flame Sword, his eyes fixed intently on the room housing the statue, ready for anything.
"Ah... Ah... Ah..."
The cries grew increasingly mournful, and it was indeed unsettling to hear. However, Tian Buyi and Su Ru, both accomplished disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, had insights and perspectives that were not comparable to ordinary people. At first, the two were somewhat tense and on guard, but as they listened, they suddenly furrowed their brows and exchanged glances, realizing something was amiss.
Although the sound was strange and frightening, it was clearly lacking in strength, the tone trembling continuously. It sounded more like a beast's dying wail than a monster's howl.
Tian Buyi nodded to Su Ru, then brandished his Crimson Flame Sword as he approached the house, with Su Ru following closely behind. The Amber Silk on her body floated gently without wind, indicating that she was still somewhat cautious.
As Tian Buyi stepped forward and entered the doorway of the house, he looked around and noticed that some bricks and tiles had collapsed onto the ground, dust scattered everywhere. At that moment, the eerie cry rang out again; this time, they could clearly hear it coming from behind the statue.
Tian Buyi moved closer, first examining the statue from top to bottom before jumping onto the offering table and stepping onto the clay lotus pedestal. He then turned sideways to look behind the statue.
Su Ru, standing below, suddenly felt anxious and hurriedly said, "Tian Buyi, be careful."
Tian Buyi turned back to her with a grin and waved his hand to indicate that everything was fine. He then took two more steps forward and turned to look behind the statue.
Just then, the piercing cry erupted again, even more urgent and shrill than before. Su Ru was startled; just as she wanted to rush over to help, she heard several muffled sounds as if bricks were shifting and falling. Then Tian Buyi stepped back out, holding something in his hands as he jumped down from the altar.
Su Ru focused her gaze and was momentarily stunned when she saw that what Tian Buyi was holding was a completely yellow dog. It looked ordinary—just a common village dog found in rural areas. However, this dog appeared to be on the verge of death; its chest barely rose and fell in Tian Buyi's arms, its eyes half-closed and dull. Yet its body trembled slightly as if it were very frightened.
Tian Buyi said, "This is the little guy. When I went up there, I saw it trapped under a pile of rubble unable to move while barking incessantly. It might be a stray dog that wandered into Grass Temple Village to play and got trapped there without food or water until its cries became distorted, leading the villagers to misunderstand."
Su Ru nodded as she looked at the Yellow Dog in Tian Buyi's hands. It was fluffy and quite adorable but now seemed weak; its mouth and nose were cracked dry from hunger and thirst. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart and softly said, "Ah, this dog is so pitiful."
With that, she took the dog gently from Tian Buyi's hands and began to stroke its head and back softly.
It was strange, Yellow Dog seemed to find comfort in her touch, its trembling body gradually calming down, but its weak appearance remained unchanged.
Tian Buyi frowned and said, "It must be too long without water; it's really thirsty. I'll go find some fresh water."
With that, he strode out. Outside was a village, so finding fresh water was no problem. Before long, Tian Buyi returned to Grass Temple Village with a gourd of fresh water. Su Ru extended her hand, signaling Tian Buyi to pour some water into her snow-white palm, then gently placed her hand by Yellow Dog's mouth.
Yellow Dog moved slightly, seemingly invigorated all of a sudden, and immediately stretched out its tongue to lick Su Ru's hand, drinking it all up in no time.
Next, Su Ru fed Yellow Dog a few more times with fresh water. It seemed like a long-awaited rain after a drought, and it quickly regained its spirit, looking much more lively.
Watching Su Ru carefully take care of Yellow Dog, Tian Buyi decided to go out again. When he returned, he had brought back some meat bones and placed them in front of Yellow Dog.
Clearly starving, Yellow Dog pounced on the food and began to gnaw at it happily.
Seeing Yellow Dog like this, Su Ru couldn't help but laugh. She patted Yellow Dog's head and said, "Don't rush; take your time eating."
At this moment, Yellow Dog's eyes had regained some brightness. Hearing her words, it nudged its head against Su Ru's palm as if being affectionate and let out a sound that now resembled a normal dog barking—"Woof woof."
Su Ru smiled as she stood up and walked over to Tian Buyi. "So this is what kind of dog it is. Well, that's good; this matter is finally resolved. We just need to inform the villagers of Caomiao Village later."
Tian Buyi nodded and said, "Alright, I'll go then. Let's go."
Su Ru agreed. As Tian Buyi turned to take a couple of steps, he suddenly noticed that Su Ru was still standing in place, looking somewhat reluctant at the Yellow Dog. He asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"
With a sigh, Su Ru replied, "What will happen to this dog after we leave?"
Tian Buyi thought for a moment and said, "I think it should be a wild dog, probably still wandering around."
Su Ru pursed her lips, a hint of compassion crossing her face, and said, "It sounds a bit pitiful. If we encounter something like this again in the future, I'm afraid... sigh, no one will come to save it anymore."
Tian Buyi shook his head and replied, "There are too many such things; we can't save them all."
Su Ru sighed and nodded, saying, "You're right. It's just that I feel sorry for this dog; I can't help but feel pity."
As if it understood some of Su Ru's words, the Yellow Dog that was devouring its food suddenly lifted its head, glanced at the two of them, barked once, wagged its tail as if wanting to come over. But after a moment, it seemed unable to resist the temptation of the bones and continued to munch eagerly.
Tian Buyi shook his head with a smile, thinking that the dog looked a bit silly. He then turned to look at Su Ru but found her eyes fixed on the Yellow Dog, still showing some reluctance. Tian Buyi scratched his head and tentatively said to Su Ru, "Junior Sister Su, if you really like this dog, why don't you... take it back to Zhu Feng and adopt it?"
Su Ru was taken aback; her face first lit up with joy but then shook her head with a hint of sadness. She said, "That wouldn't be good. I do like this dog, but Shuiyue Senior Sister is usually very annoyed by these dogs and cats. If she sees it, she'll definitely get angry. I don't want to upset her."
At that moment, Tian Buyi suddenly had an epiphany; it felt as if all the wisdom he had accumulated in his life burst forth at that instant. He said seriously to Su Ru, "I see now; no wonder you're in a dilemma. Hmm... how about I adopt this dog? I can keep it at Dazhu Peak. Whenever you have free time or miss it, you can come to Dazhu Peak to see the dog."
Su Ru's eyes lit up as she clapped her hands and laughed, "Oh my, that's a great idea! It's settled then!" With that, she covered her mouth and smiled gently, feeling that at this moment, looking at this chubby guy seemed increasingly pleasing to her.
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